GTVault is a one of a kind website dedicated to the Gran Turismo tuning community. Since 2001, GT tuners have come to recognize GTVault as the definitive Gran Turismo tuning resource. GTVault members may post their setups, view and vote on other's setups, and post comments. GTVault was not designed to be a traditional GT discussion forum, the major difference being that you cannot create your own post topics outside of posting your setups. If you're looking for a GT discussion forum, please see the GT Links sidebar (look to the right).

Many, many users have asked that a forum be integrated into GTVault. I will state my reasons here, and here alone, as to why GTVault does not contain a forum.

Forums are high maintenance -- I like my websites just as I like my women, low maintenance.

There are plenty of good GT forums to choose from, so why reinvent the wheel? -- See the GT Links sidebar for some suggestions.

That said, all discussion related to tuning and home page news is welcome.

What are the browsing requirements for GTVault?

Updated by Kerr 06/01/2005 4:48 PM

GTVault was developed for Internet Explorer 5+ / Netscape 6+ / Firefox 0.8+. You must have JavaScript and cookies enabled on your browser. GTVault may render in Netscape 4, however you will have display issues. GTVault has not been tested on the Mac platform. The format of GTVault was designed to be viewed fullscreen at a resolution of 1024x768 or higher.

When should I, and how do I contact the webmaster?

Updated by Kerr 05/25/2011 1:15 AM

You should contact the webmaster at support at gtvault dot com if you have any technical or membership related questions about the site.

Signing up for the GTVault is simple. Just visit our new account page, fill in the required information (Username, Password, E-mail), and submit. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to your e-mail address. This confirmation e-mail contains a link you must visit to activate your GTVault account. If you do not visit this link, your account will remain in pending status and you will not be able to log in.

What is the history of GTVault?

Updated by Kerr 06/20/2005 6:47 PM

The original GTVault was launched on November 29, 2001, approximately six months after the release of Gran Turismo 3. The site was redesigned in September, 2003. Over the course of 3+ years GTVault has grown from literally nothing to a community of over 5,000 tuners.

Development work for the new version of GTVault began in January, 2004, and continued through June, 2005. Whereas I worked alone on the original site, the new version is the realization of the combined efforts of many contributers and over 10,000 hours of development and data gathering.

I haven't received my confirmation e-mail. What do I do?

Updated by Kerr 06/12/2007 8:38 PM

Be sure to check your spam folder before contacting GTVault. Some e-mail providers may mark GTVault e-mails as spam in error. If you find GTVault e-mail in your spam folder, be sure to mark us as a "safe" sender so that you will receive e-mail notifications in the future

Please allow up to 24 hours for receipt of your confirmation e-mail. If it's been longer than 24 hours, send us an e-mail at accounts at gtvault dot com. You must e-mail us from the e-mail account used when you signed up for GTVault, and be sure to include your username in the e-mail.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

You will not receive the confirmation e-mail if your e-mail box is full or inactive. Please ensure the e-mail address you provide is working and able to receive messages.

GTVault support e-mail addresses may be inaccurately listed as spam addresses by some e-mail providers. Be sure to check your spam folder and, if applicable, place the following e-mail addresses on your 'Safe' list:

You don't have to register to gain view-only access to GTVault. All visitors can search for and view setups. Only registered users, however, can enter their own setups, comments and votes. Of course, we urge you to register and participate in the GTVault community. Registration is free, GTVault will not spam you, and your information will not be passed on to any third parties.

How do I log on after I'm registered?

Updated by Kerr 09/22/2005 4:06 PM

Important: For correct operation, GTVault requires that you enable cookies in your web browser. Contrary to what some may believe, cookies are not inherently evil.

To log in, Enter your username and password in the 'Member Login' section located at the top right hand corner of every page. If you use the same computer to visit GTVault in the future, you will be automatically logged in. To disable automatic login (assuming you are logged in to GTVault), at the end of your visit be sure to click the Logout link located in the 'My GTVault' section at the top right of every page.

How do I log out of GTVault?

Updated by Kerr 05/31/2005 8:26 PM

There is no need to manually log out of GTVault. Our server will automatically log you out after 30 minutes of inactivity. If you need to log out after your visit, you can click the Logout link located in the 'My GTVault' section at the top right of every page.

I've forgotten my password. What can I do?

Updated by Kerr 09/15/2005 5:58 PM

In the event you forget your password, you may have a reminder sent to your e-mail address on record. Please go to the Lost Password page to have a reminder sent.

How do I post setups?

Updated by Kerr 06/01/2005 5:02 PM

The meat and potatoes of GTVault is the Setup Form. Each car in the supported GT games has it's own customized version of the Setup Form, replete with all available equipment and settings options. First, ensure you are searching within the desired game.

There are a number of ways to navigate to a car's Setup Form. The easiest is to begin by searching for a car by name. Let's say you have a setup for the Nissan R390 GT1 LM Race Car you want to share, search for "R390" under the "Quick Car Search" form located at the top of every page. Alternatively, you could select "Nissan" from the "GT4 Car List", then find the car amongst the other Nissans. Finally, you can click the "GT Car List" link in the "Navigation" sidebar to view a list of all cars.

After you click Go, you'll be taken to a list of cars meeting your search query. In this case, we have two: the Nissan R390 GT1 LM Race Car and also the Road Car version. Now click the "Tune" icon located on the left side of the search results.

You can enter any valid equipment setup and associated setting available in GT. The structure of the setup form is very similar to the settings area in GT. Select the appropriate equipment in the "Track and Equipment Selection" section, then enter your numbers in the "Settings", "Gear Ratios" and "Driving Aids, etc." sections.

For help on acceptable input ranges, mouse over the headings within the form.

I keep getting validation errors on the Setup Form. What am I doing wrong?

Posted by Kerr 05/31/2005 8:40 PM

The Setup Form features advanced error handling and will reject any input that is not within the range of valid settings in Gran Turismo. If you do enter a number that is out of range, the Setup Form will display an error message along with the range of acceptable settings. Valid ranges can be viewed by hovering your mouse over the appropriate heading on the Setup Form.

What if I receive a Setup Form error message on a setting I know is valid in GT?

Posted by Kerr 05/31/2005 8:46 PM

Great care has been taken with the Setup Form in an effort to accommodate all valid Gran Turismo setups. If you feel a valid setup is being rejected due to a validation error, send all pertinent details to support at gtvault dot com.

How do I enter posts?

Updated by Kerr 08/04/2005 9:48 PM

All registered and logged in GTVault users have the ability to enter setups, posts, and votes. An automatic e-mail is sent to the owner of a setup when you enter a post. The e-mail will only be sent when you enter a new post, and not when you make a change to an existing post.

To enter a new post, click the "New Post" Icon located in a setup or home page post. See the Icon Help. Page for help with GTVault icons.

The Post Form works much like that of a typical forum, and makes use of bbCode to enable post markup such as font and color changes.

What are my e-mail notification / subscription options?

Posted by Kerr 05/31/2005 9:07 PM

By default, all GTVault users will receive automatic e-mail notification on setups / posts they have entered. When entering a post on another tuner's setup or on a home page post, you are automatically subscribed to that setup/post. You will receive an e-mail when the next tuner enters a post on that setup/post. The e-mail will contain a direct link to the new post so you don't have to go searching around for it. You will only receive one e-mail before you log back into GTVault, regardless of how many posts are entered before your next login.

Subscription settings can be changed by visiting the the Profile link located in the 'My GTVault' section at the top right corner of each page.

How can I set up my own GTVault-ish website?

Updated by Kerr 06/21/2005 7:21 AM

Short answer:

You can't.

Long answer:

I apologize in advance for the upcoming rant, but trust me when I say that this topic warrants an FAQ entry as I've been asked this question on a number of occasions. People seem to think that websites like this grow on trees. GTVault is quite the opposite of a "plug and play" forum based website. Before even thinking about an endeavor like this, you must ask yourself a couple key questions:

Am I adept at website and database development?

Am I prepared to sacrifice thousands of hours of my spare time in order to develop this website?

Am I so bereft of original ideas that I must spend my time on a site that is nothing more than a copy of another?

If you've answered "Yes" to all three questions, then congratulations! You are one step closer to having your own GTVault ripoff site! Let me know when you're all done.

How do I navigate GTVault?

Updated by Kerr 06/12/2011 10:07 AM

The first version of GTVault solely supported Gran Turismo 3, so navigation was simple in that there was no confusion about which game a user was browsing. The release of Gran Turismo 4 brought about a major change in the navigation of GTVault. The supported Gran Turismo games have been separated into their own sections. The single most important item in the new GTVault is the Choose a Game sidebar. This area denotes what game you're currently browsing. The current game is highlighted by a white arrow combined with bold orange text. To switch games, simply click the name of the desired game. All car and setup related navigation items depend on your current selected game.

The Navigation sidebar, located in the left margin, contains the following items:

Home - Self explanatory

Setup List - A complete list of setups posted for the currently selected game

GT Car List - A complete list of cars in the currently selected game

Prize Car List - A list of prize cars in the currently selected game

Race Event List - A complete list of race events in the currently selected game

Top Ten Lists - Top Ten lists (now graphs!) for the currently selected game

Tuning Guide - A GT Tuning Guide written by Fumes

Knowledge Base - Informative articles written by various members

FAQ - This page

Advanced Car Search - A flexible car search interface

Post Search - Search interface for all posts in GTVault

Member List - A member list and search interface

Contributors - A list of people whose contribution to GTVault is noteworthy

Icon Help - Provides assistance with the icons used throughout GTVault

Next is the Latest Setups sidebar in the left margin. This area is a set of links to the 30 latest setups for the currently selected game. Both brand new and updated setups are listed and sorted by last updated date.

Now we come to the My GTVault sidebar, located at the top of the right margin. When you're not logged in, this area presents a login form and links to sign up or retrieve a lost password. When logged in, this section displays your vital user information along with the following links:

My Setups - A list of setups you've tuned.

Favorite Setups - A list of setups you've voted for (see the FAQ entry on "What is the Setup Voting system?" for more information)

Logout - Self explanatory. Only necessary if you are using a public or shared computer.

Note: When viewing setups for an individual tuner, you are not limited to viewing setups for the currently selected game. Instead, you will see an extra column named "Game" in the setup list. This column denotes which game each setup was tuned for. This exception also affects the "My Setups" and "Favorite Setups" links.

The next section is the Currently Online sidebar, located directly below the "My GTVault" sidebar in the right margin. This area lists the names of registered users currently browsing the site, along with a count of the current visitors.

GT Links is located in the right margin. This is a list of links to GT related sites recommended by GTVault.

Finally, Auto Links, located in the right margin, is a list of links to manufacturers featured in the GT game series. Feel free to e-mail me at support at gtvault dot com if you find this list to be incomplete or inaccurate.

What technologies make GTVault tick?

Updated by Kerr 02/14/2006 7:05 PM

The original GTVault was programmed in ColdFusion with a Microsoft Access 97 database. As we outgrew the lack of concurrence Access has to offer, the database was migrated to Microsoft SQL Server 2000.

The release of GT4 presented an opportunity to redevelop GTVault from the ground up, this time using open source technologies in lieu of expensive proprietary products. The current version of GTVault was programmed in PHP running on a MySQL database. A very large amount of PHP community code and tools were incorporated, all to make a site that is much more functional at a fraction of the cost (in $$$).

What is bbCode and how do I use it?

Updated by Kerr 12/23/2008 10:12 AM

Introduction

What is bbCode? bbCode is a special implementation of HTML which can be used in your posts and signature. You can disable bbCode on a per post basis via the posting form. bbCode itself is similar in style to HTML: tags are enclosed in square braces [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers greater control over what and how something is displayed. You may find adding bbCode to your posts is made much easier through the clickable interface above the message area on the posting form. Even with this you may find the following guide useful.

Text Formatting

How to create bold, italic and underlined text

bbCode includes tags to allow you to quickly change the basic style of your text. This is achieved in the following ways:

To make a piece of text bold enclose it in [b][/b], eg.

[b]Hello[/b]

will become Hello

For underlining use [u][/u], for example:

[u]Good Morning[/u]

becomes Good Morning

To italicise text use [i][/i], eg.

This is [i]Great![/i]

would give This is Great!

How to change the text colour or size

To alter the color or size of your text the following tags can be used. Keep in mind that how the output appears will depend on the viewers browser and system:

Changing the colour of text is achieved by wrapping it in [color=][/color]. You can specify either a recognised colour name (eg. red, blue, yellow, etc.) or the hexadecimal triplet alternative, eg. #FFFFFF, #000000. For example, to create red text you could use:

[color=red]Hello![/color]

or

[color=#FF0000]Hello![/color]

will both output Hello!

Changing the text size is achieved in a similar way using [size=][/size]. This tag is dependent on the template you are using but the recommended format is a numerical value representing the text size in pixels, starting at 1 (so tiny you will not see it) through to 29 (very large). For example:

[size=9]SMALL[/size]

will generally be SMALL

whereas:

[size=24]HUGE![/size]

will be HUGE!

Can I combine formatting tags?

Yes, of course you can; for example to get someones attention you may write:

[size=18][color=red][b]LOOK AT ME![/b][/color][/size]

this would output LOOK AT ME!

We don't recommend you output lots of text that looks like this, though! Remember that it is up to you, the poster, to ensure that tags are closed correctly. For example, the following is incorrect:

[b][u]This is wrong[/b][/u]

Quoting and outputting fixed-width text

Quoting text in replies

There are two ways you can quote text: with a reference or without.

When you utilise the Quote function to reply to a post on the board you should notice that the post text is added to the message window enclosed in a [quote=""][/quote] block. This method allows you to quote with a reference to a person or whatever else you choose to put. For example, to quote a piece of text Mr. Blobby wrote, you would enter:

[quote="Mr. Blobby"]The text Mr. Blobby wrote would go here[/quote]

The resulting output will automatically add: Mr. Blobby wrote: before the actual text. Remember that you must include the quotation marks "" around the name you are quoting -- they are not optional.

The second method allows you to blindly quote something. To utilise this enclose the text in [quote][/quote] tags. When you view the message it will simply show: Quote: before the text itself.

Linking to another site

bbCode supports a number of ways of creating URIs (Uniform Resource Indicators) better known as URLs.

The first of these uses the [url=][/url] tag, whatever you type after the = sign will cause the contents of that tag to act as a URL. For example to link to gtvault.com you could use:

[url=http://www.gtvault.com/]Visit GTVault![/url]

This would generate the following link, Visit GTVault! Please notice that the link opens in the same window or a new window depending on the users browser preferences.

If you want the URL itself displayed as the link you can do this by simply using:

Additionally, bbCode features something called Magic Links, this will turn any syntactically correct URL into a link without you needing to specify any tags or even the leading http://. For example typing www.gtvault.com into your message will automatically lead to www.gtvault.com being output when you view the message.

What is the Setup Voting system?

Updated by Kerr 11/13/2010 12:29 PM

The new GTVault features a simple "thumbs up" voting system. If you like a tuner's setup, simply click the orange thumbs up icon either from a setup list or at the top of a setup page. Your vote will be added to the total vote count for that setup. When viewing setup lists, the setups you've voted for will have a green [img]The new GTVault features a simple "thumbs up" voting system. If you like a tuner's setup, simply click the orange thumbs up icon either from a setup list or at the top of a setup page. Your vote will be added to the total vote count for that setup. When viewing setup lists, the setups you've voted for will have a green thumbs up icon. Additionally, the setup will now appear in your "Favorite Setups" list located in "My GTVault". You can delete an existing vote by clicking the green thumbs up icon in the setup list. The green thumbs up icon will turn red as your mouse cursor moves over it. After clicking the red icon, you will be asked for confirmation to delete the vote. If you confirm deletion, your vote will be removed and the setup will no longer appear in your "Favorite Setups" list.

There are some rules in place to prevent vote spamming:

You must be a registered GTVault user in order to vote.

You can only vote for a setup one time. Repeat votes will not be counted.

You cannot vote for your own setups.

You may be wondering why the voting system is so simplistic. During the planning stages, the original idea was to provide a 10 scale voting system with ratings for Handling, Acceleration, etc. In theory, this type of system provides a very accurate rating method. In practice, however, it would be a nightmare for two reasons.

Allowing negative feedback (a vote of 1 on a 10 scale) is fuel for flame wars.

Driving styles are so varied that a setup that works for one racer most certainly won't work for others.

This straightforward system was constructed with the idea that good tuners should be rewarded for their efforts while not having to put up with a$$hole negativity.

Website Enhancements and Fixes

Updated by Kerr 12/15/2011 10:42 PM

I put this post together as a way to track enhancements and fixes. It's definitely not required reading, but programmers and GTVault historians may be interested.

07/18/2005

Fixed a bug with the link between LSD and AYC equipment on the setup form. When AYC is equipped, LSD is changed to 'Standard' and front LSD settings can be modified. When any LSD other than "Standard" is equipped, AYC is changed to "None". 46 setups were modified to bring LSD to "Standard" when AYC is equipped. 6 setups that had Rear LSD settings populated while AYC was equipped were also modified.

Fixed some row color toggle issues on the setup form.

07/22/2005

Fixed the Prize Car for the BMW 1 Series Trophy. Was originally a 2004 120d, but should have been a 1974 2002 Turbo

Removed the Mercedez-Benz SLK 230 Kompressor from the list of cars available to race at the Mercedes-Benz SL Challenge.

08/01/2005

Added the Prize Car List.

Fixed the Prize Car for the BMW Club 'M' series - Was a M5 but should have been a M3 GTR.

Added PSN ID to My Profile. If populated, your PSN ID will be displayed in all GTVault post threads.

06/02/2011

Added inline filtering capabilities to the GT Car List. Any combination of filters may be used for ultimate flexibility.

10/11/2011

Released the Gran Turismo 5 version of GTVault.

10/13/2011

Added JavaScript based setup form field protection to prevent erroneous equipment and settings selections. (e.g. Standard Transmission selected, yet gear ratios, which can only be modified with Fully Customizable Transmission, are entered)

Updated GTX Car List images, unifying them into one by dropping the version number.

Updated actions area on Setup Detail pages, making sure actions are available regardless of whether the setup is Expanded or Collapsed.

12/15/2011

Consolidated the Track & Performance section of the GT5 Setup Form into the General section.

Removed Model Year from the GT5 Setup Details page

How do I search for cars using more than just the Car Name?

Updated by Kerr 12/01/2009 6:18 PM

You can use the Advanced Car Search page, which is a complex and powerful GT car search engine. With Advanced Car Search you can search for and display virtually all car related data in the GTVault database. The Search form is laid out in two sections. The top section takes various inputs to use as a search filter. The bottom section contains checkboxes for the items to display in the search results. Using a combination of these, one could answer any GT car related question. Here is an example:

Question: In GT4, Which FR cars from the USA have a Stock HP rating over 300?Solution:

For example, clicking the "Stock HP" column twice will place the highest HP cars at the beginning of the search results

The above example was a relatively simple one. Any car question, no matter how simple or complex, can be answered by using the Advanced Car Search. It should come in especially handy when researching which car to use for restricted events.

Notes:

If no "Columns to View" are checked, Make is automatically selected to ensure results formatting is correct

Use Ctrl + click on the "Make" and "Nation" drop downs for multiple selections.

When viewing search results, click the "Edit Search" button at the top right to modify your existing search. This will save time when you wish to change an already complex set of search criteria.

From search results, click a Car Name to view all details for that car

From search results, click a Setup quantity to view all setups for that car

All text fields in the "More Than" and "Less Than" columns are designed for numeric entries.

Car Name is always displayed first in the search results, regardless of what columns are chosen.

After sorting on any column, you can save the URL as a bookmark for future use

Side note -- Some members my recall that it took a few months to get GTVault up and running after the release of GT4. The task of capturing car data took a lot of time and resources, something all the other "tuning" websites felt was not essential. This search engine would not be possible without that extra effort and attention to detail. Patience is a virtue...

How do I set my avatar on GTVault?

Posted by Kerr 05/29/2011 10:00 PM

Avatar support was added to GTVault on 05/29/2011. The avatars are not managed or hosted directly at GTVault, rather we use the Gravatar free avatar hosting service. To set up your avatar for GTVault, simply do the following: